


4th of July

by dadezra



Category: Cancer Crew, Filthy Frank - Fandom, George miller - Fandom, Joji - Fandom, Joji miller - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Dirty Talk, F/M, Fluff, Jealousy, Sexual Tension, Smut, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 07:35:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13359546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dadezra/pseuds/dadezra
Summary: You hooked up with your best friend Joji over a year ago, he went on tour, you haven't talked since. Now you're spending the 3 day holiday weekend in a vacation house with him and a group of your college friends. Angst, fluff, and smut ensue.





	4th of July

It was sunset. You watch with an unwavering gaze as the fiery red orb sinks lower and lower, dying the sky orange and pink. It’s nearly 9 but the summer heat remains relentless as you sink into the back of the cab. You roll down the window, letting the breeze wash against your face. You hope it will calm you, but as the car makes its way down the winding path of vacation homes, the air does nothing to relax your racing heart.  
Any other summer you’d be itching to jump out of the cab and into your friend’s arms. It was a 4th of July tradition for your friend group to meet up at Adam’s parent’s home in East Hampton. He never missed an opportunity to throw a party and pretend the ridiculously extravagant house was his own for the weekend. It was fun to take a break from your classes and neverending waitressing hours to spend a few days in the pool, pretending like you belonged to this lifestyle.  
This year though, you were dreading it. You wanted to make up an excuse and lounge in the safety and loneliness of your own apartment. In the end you decided to suck it up and convince yourself you’ll be too drunk to even care if Joji is there with a girl.  
God, you were nervous. It had been months since you’d seen him. An entire tour had passed and despite always considering him a best friend, you’d barely spoken for almost a year now. You lie to yourself and chalk it up to simply being on different continents.  
When you arrive, he’s the first to spot you. You draw in a deep breath as he jumps from his seat and pulls you in. His arms wrap right around you and the force of his hug lifts you off the ground. Despite the heaviness in your stomach, it also flutters at the feeling of his body against yours. You scan the room for the tell tale blonde hair and bright dresses that come with his girlfriend but she’s nowhere to be seen.  
“You’re late.” He teases once your feet are back on the ground. His fingers poke at your sides. It’s immature. It’s silly. It’s Joji. You can’t help but smile back up at him. His hair is longer now and even messier than you remember it being the last time. The ends poke out from his baseball cap. He looks great and smells the same, cologne and faint cigarette smoke.  
“I think you’re all just early.” You taunt back, “You guys can’t have fun without me anyway.” He follows you into the living room where you greet the rest of your friends. It’s crowded and everyone is drinking and loudly mingling with each other.  
“There she is!” Adam squeezes you as if he hadn’t seen you just last week. You let him introduce you to everyone you don’t know. It’s overwhelming and you soon find yourself in the kitchen concocting a drink that you desperately need. You lean against the counter and spot Joji through the window sitting near the pool and campfire. There’s the girl beside him.  
There had been a drunken night. It was a year ago in June and you’d wanted him badly. Truthfully you’d wanted him since the first time you’d met 4 years ago. Adam was your best friend in college and was trying to get into music. He started making beats with Joji and you were hanging out in his apartment when he came over for the first time. Adam showed you his videos, laughing while Joji cringed on the couch beside you.  
“Oh my god, your voice.” Your stomach hurt from laughter as Adam chose another video to play and Joji groaned.  
“Stop.” He protested but you could see the smile on his face, “You guys fuckin’ suck.”  
You fell in love with the way he dove into everything, the way he cared about even the littlest things like they were important enough to change the world. He was so passionate about everything he worked on and you began to admire him for it. But he had a girlfriend then and you were with some guy. That never stopped the two of you from becoming good friends though. In the history of your entire friendship you had only ever been single at the same time once and it was during that stupid night where you were too drunk to censor yourself.  
It was the first time you’d ever said I love you and meant it. It was a year ago and you still remember exactly how his lips felt against yours. You remember how it was raining and how the thunder startled him and he bit your lip. How he tasted like tequila and you should have known then that this meant nothing. You remember how his body pressed against yours and how his large hands pulled your shirt up.  
He left for Asia shortly after and you never spoke about that night. You hardly spoke at all. There were texts here and there but only to say ‘hey’ or ‘happy new year.’ You heard through friends that he’d met a girl and you soon began to see her in his Instagram stories. You pretended to be happy and tried to find someone new of your own. You fucked James and tried to convince yourself he was what you wanted. The two of you broke up last month and you hardly cared. You were lonely now but it wasn’t James you missed.  
You make your way out to the campfire, sitting and dangling your feet in the pool. Your friends join but you stay focused on the red cup in your hands, ignoring the conversation. They’re talking about music, something about playing a New York show.  
“You’ll be there right?” You don’t notice the question is directed towards you until you look up and see Joji’s eyes on you.  
“Yeah of course.”  
“You haven’t seen us play in so long, it’ll be fun.” Adam lights up beside you, knocking his shoulder into yours.  
You smile back but feel out of place. There are a few non musicians around, most of whom you also went to school with, but this crowd is very much DJs and singers and you’re very much not. You gulp down more of your drink until it’s gone, it’s the perfect balance of rum and cherry coke, and soon enough you feel loose enough to change the subject and suggest smores. Suddenly there are graham crackers and marshmallows everywhere and you’re actually enjoying yourself. You can’t help a few glances at Joji until all of a sudden he’s gone. Maybe he’s busy with her…  
He’s back before you can get too distressed with two red plastic cups. He passes his seat and comes straight to you, forcing one into your hand.  
“Cherry coke and rum?” He smiles.  
“You know me well.” You take a drink and the two of you stand quietly, observing the chaos around you. Someone turned on the sound system and the music is loud enough that it makes your skin tingle and your lungs feel like mush. The bass thumps in time with your heart beat as though they’re one.  
“So where’s your girlfriend?” You practically have to shout and immediately regret your words. You throw more of your drink back and hope that you hadn’t sounded jealous. You bite your lip, eyes everywhere but his face.  
“She’s-” He begins but Adam’s drunk and flailing body comes crashing into Joji yelling “Cannonball!” The two of them crash into the water, sending a wave over you and everyone standing by the edge of the pool.  
“Sorry!” Adam yells to you, laughing, as you push the wet hair from your eyes. “Come on, get in!”  
“I will in a little. I’m gonna get my bathing suit.”  
“No fair!” Joji yells and gestures to his wet clothing, “I didn’t have a choice.”  
“Yeah! Just jump in!” Soon all eyes are on you and you have no choice but to jump, fully clothed and squealing when the cold water hits your skin.  
“God, I’ve missed you guys.” Adam was gushing as you resurface.  
“I see you all the time.” You splash him gently and he retaliates much more forcefully.  
“I meant all of us together, dumbass.”  
“You’ve gotten so fuckin’ soft while I was gone.” Joji swims over to the shallow end where he peels his soaked tee shirt from his skin.  
“That’s just what happens when I’m drunk.” Adam shrugs. You smile at Adam but you can’t keep your eyes from lingering on Joji. The way the water drips down his chest and the way the muscles in his arms flex as he tries to remove the soaked fabric. The sight leaves you swallowing hard.  
\-----  
You’re shivering in a guest bedroom as you pull the soaked clothes from your skin and replace them with sweats. You take your time drying your hair in the bathroom while you recap the evening in your mind. It’s surely past midnight now and everyone who isn’t passed out or planning to stay the weekend has left.  
Being in the pool earlier felt just like your early college days when you would skip class with Joji and Adam whenever his parents were out of town and the weather was nice. You’d splash around and then get high while laying out in the sun.  
A knock on the door pulls you from your thoughts. You let Joji in and he flops onto the bed. He looks so good laying there, scrolling through his phone as if everything was normal between the two of you. Maybe it was for him. He had changed out of his wet pants and into a hoodie and joggers. His hair was still wet though, some strands falling over his forehead.  
“Uh, so…” You walk past him to hang the towel up and try to not be so awkward, “Where’d your friend go?”  
“Who?” He looks up from the screen.  
“Your girlfriend?”  
“Natalie.” He laughs, noticing how uncomfortable you are, “She’s not my girlfriend. Just a friend.”  
“Oh.” You feel relief flood your body and take a seat at the end of the bed.  
“You’re acting different,” His eyes search your face and he looks amused, “Why are you being so quiet?”  
“I’m not.” You pull your knees to your chest, feeling defensive.  
“You’ve never been quiet before.”  
“Sure I have.” You’re suddenly annoyed. He hasn’t seen you all year and now he’s talking like he still knows you so well.  
“It’s not a bad thing.” He laughs again and you roll your eyes. “I just can’t figure you out tonight.”  
“Well you haven’t seen me all year, maybe I’m just different now.” You hadn’t meant for it to come out so accusing and now he lay there just looking at you.  
“I doubt that.” His brow furrows.  
“I just mean a lot has happened while you were gone is all. A year is a long time.”  
“I guess.” He drapes a hand over his forehead and then rubs his eyes, taking a deep breath. “You know I was a little busy right? I mean I was in fucking Asia?”  
You stay silent, only proving his point that you were much quieter now.  
“I’m gonna go to sleep. You staying all weekend?” He finally opens his eyes but you’re looking away. You don’t want him to see how red your cheeks are.  
“Yes.” You answer softly. He’s pissed and this isn’t what you wanted.  
“Cool.” He gets up.  
“Wait, Joji,” Before you can think to stop yourself, you grab his arm as he walks past the foot of the bed. “That came out shitty. It’s just been so long and we haven’t talked. I wasn’t sure how to act tonight. I think I’m just drunk and emotional.”  
“Dude, you’re one of my best friends.” He pulls you up from the bed and you drape your arms over his shoulders, resting your head against his chest. You notice how fast his heart is beating. “Nothing’s changed, okay?”  
“Okay” You whisper, not sure you believe him but you nod anyway. “I’ll see you in the morning.”  
\---  
By the time you sleepily stagger into the kitchen, breakfast making is well under way. Your friends and a couple people whose names you can’t remember are all busy chopping and baking and stirring. You feel bad that you hadn’t woken up earlier.  
“What can I do?” You ask as you slide onto one of the tall chairs at the island next to someone passed out.  
“Hey, there she is.” Adam hands you a mug, “Coffee?”  
“Yes please.” You eagerly accept. It burns your tongue but you don’t care, you’re just trying to fight the tired haze surrounding you after your late night. “So, what do you need help with?”  
Adam looks around, “I think we’ve got it covered. You can just chill and keep an eye on Joji. Make sure he doesn’t cut himself like earlier.” Joji elbows him hard and Adam throw his hands up.  
“If you insist.” You grin, taking another sip. The kitchen is huge, just like the rest of the house. There’s three large windows letting the mid morning sunlight in, warming the room. It’s filled with the scent of bacon and eggs. Music is playing quietly and you lean back in your chair, taking in the scene before you.  
Joji becomes the picture of focus. He bites on his bottom lip as he chops an apple. Every so often he throws the finished pieces in a large glass bowl with strawberries and grapes and it’s only then that he takes the chance to look up at you. “See something you like?”  
“Yes… the food.” You tease him, “Whatcha making?” You ask as he sets a frying pan on the stove top.  
“French toast.”  
Time moves slowly as you watch everyone shuffle around the kitchen. Adam eventually joins you at the island and Joji turns up the music. He focuses on the butter melting in the pan as he adds a piece of soggy bread to the hot surface. You and Adam watch as he goofily swivels his hips to the beat.  
The food is eaten quickly, everyone hungover and starving. Even the guy who was slumped over next to you wakes up and demolishes a heaping pile of the eggs. You eat until you’re stuffed and then spend the next hour chatting about plans for the day.  
\---  
You all decide on taking the boat out. You’d always thought it was the pinnacle of wealth, being able to fit three sunbeds on the top deck and a cabin with a double bed below. It was white with white leather décor- incredibly beautiful. But in comparison to the rest of the boats and yachts sailing the water right now, it was merely a baby of the ocean.  
“Are you coming in or not?!” One of the girls call from the side of the boat, startling you from your lazy euphoria.  
“In a second” You mumble, keeping your eyes closed as you roll onto your front, giving your back the same attention as your front to the unforgiving rays. You spent most of your year inside classrooms and the cafe where you worked, so you weren’t going to waste the opportunity to be lazy and lay out.  
As the sun is hitting its peak and small droplets of sweat trickle down your brow, you flip over and lift the sunglasses from the bridge of your nose. You peer through squinted eyelids, the bright rays making it almost impossible to see after having had them shut for so long. You sweep them across the horizon, scanning the beautiful view that's spread out in front of you. The water is vast, soft waves rolling across its surface from the motion of the boats sailing past. Apart from the soft drone of chatter from the people upon their decks and in the water, the scene is almost completely silent. Serene.  
You shut your eyes again and feel a cool breeze roll across your skin for the first time in hours. Your heated skin welcomes its soothing touch until you feel the cool splash of water droplets on your thigh.  
“What the fuck!” You yelp, abruptly being pulled from your daze and springing upwards.  
“Sorry, didn’t mean to make you jump.” It’s Joji and he’s laughing hard. Despite your frustration, you can’t help but absorb every part of his exposed skin that stands before you. Drops of water trickle from his hair to his shoulders, meandering slowly downwards. “I was sent to get you in the water.”  
You sigh, laying back down. “Tell them I’m not coming.”  
“Why not? It’s so hot up here.”  
“I’m tanning.” You grab a magazine from beneath your seat.  
“Don’t be such a dick” he laughs, pulling the magazine from your hands and tossing it onto the other sunbed.  
“Hey!” You protest, reaching for the magazine again and sticking out your tongue, “You can’t make me.”  
“Wanna bet?” You can hear the amusement in his voice as he challenges, but you keep your head down and begin mindlessly flicking through the pages. Within an instant he’s gone and the sun is shining warming against your face once again.  
“You might want to take off your sunglasses,” he taunts from behind you as his hands snake around your waist, locking around your middle, his biceps tensing as he bends at the knees.  
“What! Joji!” You shriek.  
“Sorry, I’m under orders.” You soon find your legs flailing in the air as he hauls you from the comforts of the bed.  
“You better not-”  
You rise from the water with a sharp gasp for air, your hair drenched against your face and eyes squeezed shut. Before you have the chance to open them, another wave engulfs your floating body, crashing over your head and water fills your nose once again. A figure comes up with the splash right in front of you, grinning beneath a wet mass of dark hair.  
“George!” You cough, pushing your hands outward and splashing him with all your might. “I hate you.”  
“Sure you do.” He smirks, running his fingers through his hair as he pushes it from his face. “That’s why you’ve been checking me out all day.”  
“Was not.” You feel my cheeks flush a deep shade of pink.  
“So that’s why you’re blushing?”  
“I’m not blushing. I’m… hot.” You sort of feel like dying.  
He grins again. “Someone’s modest…”  
“No. I mean, the sun… it’s h-”  
“I know,” he smiles, quickly sinking beneath the water and surprising you from behind. “You know I’m just messing with you. Relax.” He smirks against your ear, his chest rising up and down softly against your back. His hot breath slithers down your neck, making each tiny hair stand on end. You take a deep breath before tilting your chin over your shoulder and looking directly at him.  
“Come on” You smile, “Everyone’s waiting for us on the other side.” You sweep your arms just beneath the surface of the water, creating space between the two of you.  
“Race you there?” He raises an eyebrow cockily and you splash hard before taking off to meet the rest of your friends.  
\---  
When you return to the house it’s dark outside. Another fire is lit and pizzas are ordered.  
“Hey, what happened to Natalie?” A girl, Hanna, asks Joji from across the fire pit. He takes his time chewing the pizza before answering.  
“She had work today.”  
“She was cute, I liked her.” She smiles and Joji smiles back shyly. Now he’s the one being oddly quiet. He’s been acting different ever since you’ve arrived back home. The tension between you two felt stronger than ever. You couldn’t stop thinking about the way his chest was pressed to your back in the water.  
“Yeah,” Adam agrees, emerging from the house with several beers in his hands, “What’s the deal with her Joji? You been hitting that?” You and Hanna groan but everyone else laughs.  
“Yeah, dude.” Joji laughs along with them and takes a beer. You’re suddenly not so hungry anymore and you get mad at yourself for even caring. You have no right to be bothered.  
“Hey, whatever happened to your guy?” You look up to see Adam handing you a beer. “James, right?” As close as you and Adam were, he had no idea you stopped talking to James nearly a month ago. You nod, taking a swig of the beer before answering. You find Joji’s eyes locking with your own.  
“Yeah… James. We actually broke up a few weeks ago.”  
“I didn’t know you were seeing anybody.” Joji says cooly.  
“I didn’t know you were either.” That was a lie of course.  
“I told you she’s not…” His voice trails off as Adam pulls a chair in between the two of you.  
“God, you should’ve seen this guy, Joji.” Adam hiccups, already drunk. “James was a total dick.”  
“You only met him once!”  
“Doesn’t matter,” He shakes his head, “I can always tell. Am I wrong though?” You would love to disagree but he had a point. James forgot every date, every plan, every dinner. You would’ve been mad but somewhere in your mind you must’ve known he was just a space filler for something real. Maybe you were actually the dick.  
The rest of the night is spent trashing your decisions when it comes to men and boyfriends. “Remember when you dated that douche when we were Sophomores? You were so excited about some fancy ass French restaurant and then he takes you to Burger King as a joke.” Adam falls onto you, laughing so hard, some of his beer sloshes onto your lap. Really hilarious stuff.  
\---  
It’s late, somewhere around 3am, you’re exhausted but you can’t sleep. The long hours spent in the sun and water wiped your body out but your mind was restless. You tiptoe out to the kitchen to get yourself a drink when you notice a figure by the pool. They put out the last of a lit cigarette and then slowly make their way to the kitchen door, pausing for a moment when they see you standing there watching with your glass of water.  
“Can’t sleep either?” You whisper.  
“No, not really.” Joji pulls his hood down, letting you see his face illuminated in the moonlight shining through the windows. He really was beautiful. “I’ve been tossing and turning all night.”  
“Me too.” You set the glass down and the both of you wince at the loud noise it makes, connecting with the marble countertop.  
“Do you want to come back to my room?” He asks and it’s embarrassing how quickly you accept his offer.  
He doesn’t bother to switch the lights on as you enter his room. He left the curtains open, letting the moonlight shine through and reflect off the mirror on the vanity. The window is cracked, letting in a cool breeze. You sit facing him on the fluffy white comforter, suddenly self conscious in your sleep shorts and bare legs.  
“I never got to ask you how the tour went.” You’re still whispering even though it’s just the two of you down this hallway. “I feel like we really haven’t talked much at all.”  
“It was probably the most exciting thing I’ve ever done.” He sighs, sitting back against the headboard, probably reliving it in his head. “It was insane.”  
“I watched a few videos, you sounded really good.” Your heart had swelled watching them. He looked right at home on the stage.  
“You’re really gonna come to the New York show right?”  
“If you’re inviting me, then of course.”  
“No shit, you’re always invited.” He rolls his eyes at you, “We’ll get you hooked up with backstage passes and all that.”  
“Well I’ll be there.” The breeze makes you shiver and you move next to him against the headboard.  
“Good.” He watches you move closer, you notice his eyes lingering on your legs, “You know I’ve never been so glad to be home. I didn’t realize how exhausted I was going to be over there.”  
“I can’t imagine how much energy that takes, putting on a show like that.” You whisper and then feel his fingers at the side of your thigh. Your breath catches as you force yourself not to completely fall apart at his touch.  
“I missed you, you know.” His fingers run up and down slowly, leaving a trail of goosebumps. They linger on your skin, hinting the will to crawl underneath the fabric of your shorts. “I thought about you a lot.”  
You look up at him, dark eyes meet yours and you can’t tell if he’s just fucking with you or not. You pray he’s not. Still you don’t dare speak.  
“I thought about you on the bus and in hotel rooms.” His soft lips meet your neck and the back of your ear, you close your eyes and let him touch you.  
“It got lonely sometimes,” he whispers against your skin, “and thinking of you felt good.”  
His words leave you aching. “You didn’t have other girls for that?”  
He pulls back smirking, “You know I’m not like that.” You weren’t so sure but his lips feel so good you don’t even care. He leans over you and lets his fingers graze the hem of your tee shirt before pulling it off. You close your eyes and bury your face in the crook of his neck. This is where he sprays his cologne and where God knows how many girls have left vanished love bites. You wonder how many times Natalie has been in this exact spot.  
He pulls back once again, twisting a strand of your hair around his fingers. You can barely make out his features in the dim light so you bring your hand up to his face, a thumb running across his jaw, over his bottom lip. All you want is to kiss him. He closes the gap between you, parted knees to welcome his long leg between yours, tongues tasting each other, hands traveling, caressing your burning skin. He tastes like the cigarette he was just smoking but it’s intoxicating and you want more. You’ve waited so long to have this again.  
“I missed you too.” Your voice is shaky, overwhelmed. Your confession leads to another kiss and more touching, your stomach and then thighs. He pulls at your shorts, freeing you from the unnecessary layers.  
“You remember last summer?” He breathes, “I never stopped replaying it.” Your stomach does flips hearing his words. You’d begun to think he was too drunk to recall.  
He lifts his head to allow your kisses and gentle bites on his neck. He inhales sharply, stifling a moan. You reach down to the hem of his hoodie, pulling it upwards. Once freed, you kiss the skin on his collarbone. The salty taste of the sea still lingers.  
His fingers wander between your legs, touching you in slow, small circles. He sees how badly you’re holding in a moan.  
“Have you thought of me?”  
You nod, unable to speak and he shifts his weight so that he’s resting beside you. His fingers are still there though, working even slower, almost motionless.  
“Joji.” You groan, not wanting him to stop. He pushes just his fingertip inside and you bite your lip hard.  
“So you’ve thought about me? About that night?” In the almost darkness, you can make out his smile. ‘Only a million fucking times,’ you want to cry.  
“Yes.” You hiss as one finger becomes two.  
“When you were by yourself?” Jesus, yes, countless times. You shut your eyes and nod.  
“What about when you were with your boyfriend?” You’re nodding feverishly. He removes his fingers and he’s fully on top of you. His hands are next to your shoulders and your hands are clutching the sheets in agony.  
He pulls your hands from the sheets and brings them to the buckle of his belt.  
“Undo it. I know you want to.” You gulp.  
He locks his gaze with yours, absorbing as much as he can of you in the darkness. He radiates pure desire, he doesn’t take his eyes away as you slowly unbuckle his belt and unbutton his shorts. Deep inhale. Gradual release. He feels the hot skin of your thigh and then kicks his shorts off.  
He goes back to rubbing and stroking and touching slowly and then a little faster and God you can’t do this anymore. You tug down his underwear, he allows you to free him and he quickly takes your hand in his, guiding you between your own legs. He controls your moves, taking in the sight of all the pleasure, all the desire you have for him in this moment.  
He grins against your skin, letting his two day old scruff tickle you. He kisses your collarbone then gracefully lowers his lips to your chest, your breasts, he sucks on your skin, driving you crazy. You squirm with pleasure but he holds you down with his weight, he’s in full control.  
“You had sex with someone else and thought about me.” He speaks in a low tone, breath tickling your ear. He knows, he knows everything, he always does. You hate how much you want him. “You wanted it to be me, didn’t you? You want me right now?”  
He’s so cocky but you confirm everything, you whisper yes, yes, yes, and yes, the word keeps falling from your mouth. He pushes your own finger further and watches as you give yourself pleasure, forcing your lips to part and your eyes flutter shut. You lose your breath completely as he accelerates the speed and pressure, you bite down on your lip to stop yourself from screaming out. Your eyes snap open to watch his face screw with an intense concentration, panting almost as heavily as you. You’re still chanting ‘yes’ as he throws your legs over his shoulders.  
You feel your entire body weakening with pleasure, climax building more and more with each second that passes.  
“Joji!” You cry as he pulls your hand away and thrusts into you. His face contorts before pinning his forehead to your own, breathing shallow and shaky.  
“Fuck, you feel good.” he mutters before pressing a gentle kiss to your lips, your body still tense as you struggle to adjust to the overwhelming feeling of him inside you. He alternates between fast and slow until gradually his thrusts become more urgent. His hips slam forward with force and you claw your nails down his back.  
“Yes. There” You urge desperately as he alters his angle ever so slightly.  
“What, there?” A dirty laugh slips from his lips as he pushes himself inside as deep as he can possibly go.  
“Ugh Joji. Don’t stop, please don’t stop” You beg. He’s making your head spin. Each tiny nerve ending in your body was alive, burning with an overbearing euphoria that makes your toes curl and heart pound.  
“Wasn’t planning on it,” he pants from above.  
You watch him intently for a few moments before his lips come forward to meet your own, catching each breathless moan.  
“Keep your lips there, please” You whisper desperately, feeling your orgasm fast swelling from the very pit of your stomach.  
You remember other people are in this house and you can’t trust yourself to keep quiet. Not now. Not with Joji pleasing you in every way that was physically possible. He keeps his eyes on you as he increases the speed of his thrusts, kissing hard each time your fingers dig roughly into his arms and shoulders. His grunts and his breathless groans are becoming more fervent and frequent as the minutes roll by.  
“Joji, I… Fuck, there, there…” You moan against his lips, your entire body contracting as pleasure explodes right from your core, coursing through each vein and nerve until your muscles spasm and release every ounce of pent up ecstasy that had been building since you first touched.  
He’s close and you lower one hand to his backside and pull the other through his hair as he takes his lower lip between his teeth for his final moments.  
He curses as your walls continue to contract around him, lips connecting for one final embrace until he releases himself, calling your name over and over as he knocks his hips repeatedly against your own.  
You carefully lower your legs as his forehead remains against your own, his breathing short and sharp in contrast to the long, drawn-out inhalations of your own.  
“Well fuck” he laughs softly, slowly withdrawing from you, leaving your body feeling weak and shaky.  
“Fuck.” You repeat his words. He covers the both of you with the sheet you had held onto so tightly just moments before. Your thoughts are blurry. Your head is still swimming with elation and your body is completely fatigued. You fall asleep with his arm wrapped around your middle.  
\---  
It’s 11 AM by the time you wake up. Your eyes wander over to the cracked window, the dew collecting on the sill. Shivering because of your lack of clothing, you carefully climb over Joji and pull the window shut. He’s still asleep as you put your underwear back on.  
In the kitchen you make a beeline for the coffee maker and ignore Adam’s stare.  
“Someone’s feeling rough. Long night?” His tone was taunting you. You turn around slowly, taking sips from your mug and leaning against the counter.  
“Too much beer.” You shrug, unsure of what he’s getting at. You’d made sure to stay quiet last night.  
“You know I can see the hickeys on your shoulder right?” You look down, face immediately burning, and pull your falling sleeve back up. He laughs at the panic on your face when Joji enters the room, pulling a tank top over his head and yawning loudly.  
“Good morning, Joji.” Adam grins.  
“Morning.” He groans, joining you at the coffee maker, his arm brushes yours slightly and you quickly move past him to the table.  
“You have a long night too?” Adam continues and you shoot him daggers with your eyes.  
“Yeah, I guess.”  
“It’s strange, I don’t remember you guys drinking all that much. If anyone should be hungover, it should be me.” Adam smiles at you and you kick him underneath the table.  
He grunts, scooting his chair back, “Jesus! My shin!”  
Joji finally turns around, eyeing the two of you suspiciously and then laughing. “God, you guys are so weird.” He joins you at the table. “So where is everyone?”  
“They went to buy fireworks. We’re gonna shoot them off tonight and then take the boat out to watch the finale.”  
It’s the 4th of July, the last of your three day weekend vacation. Tomorrow you’ll be pulling on your apron and taking orders behind a counter as bitchy customers leave you little to no tips. Your creepy boss will make some comment about how he missed having you at work and you’ll put on a smile and wish that you were back in bed.  
“Anyways,” Adam stretches, “I’m gonna go take a shower.”  
He exits and you look down at your coffee, suddenly feeling shy next to Joji.  
“So.” He breaks the silence.  
“So.” You look up and see him smirking at you.  
“Last night was…” He trails off, eyes covering your neck and shoulder, viewing the marks he left. You feel butterflies rise from your stomach to your chest and you pull the sleeve back up again.  
“Good,” You reassure, “Last night was good.”  
“You wanna get out of here for a few hours?”  
\---  
You and Joji walk down the secret path you’d found a few years ago that weaves in between some of the houses and leads you to the public beach. The beach is more people than sand and it’s no surprise considering the holiday. They’re laying out on their colorful towels and the scent of sunscreen is almost overpowering. Squabbling seagulls fly overhead, harassing some of the beachgoers in their endless hunger. You kick your sandals off and let your feet sink into the hot sand as you wait for Joji to come back with your drinks.  
“I hope you’re craving lemonade.” You spin around to see Joji carrying two huge cups. “This was the smallest size they had.”  
You gratefully accept the drink and the two of you continue walking towards the boardwalk.  
“It’s been forever since we’ve walked out here.” A swarm of little kids run past, just barely tackling you.  
“I know. It’s like Adam’s parents got that boat and we just decided fuck the public.” He laughs, just barely missing being hit by the kids himself.  
“It’s not that bad.” You lean over the railing, looking down at the water. The sun is beating down on the back of your neck but the breeze coming off the sea makes it bearable. “I kind of missed it.”  
“You can’t tell me you’d rather be here than on a yacht.” He leans beside you.  
“Wow,” You pull your sunglasses down so he can see your eyebrows raise, “one tour and you’re already too good for the little things, huh?”  
He elbows your side, chuckling, “Yeah, hardly.”  
“But seriously… I’m really proud of you, Joji.” You look up again, “you’re really out here doing everything you wanted to.”  
He edges his hand toward yours ever so slightly until you feel his fingertips brush your hand. You unfurl your fingers and let his slip around yours. Hand in hand, he leads you away from the water and you continue walking down the boardwalk. The heat of his palm pressed against your own is different. You like it.  
“Tell me what you’ve been up to.”  
“Nothing new really,” You take a sip of the lemonade. It’s so hot that your drink is quickly becoming watered down. “I’m still working at the cafe to keep paying for school.”  
“I still can’t believe you’re in grad school. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.” He shudders dramatically.  
“Besides the cost, I don’t really mind,” You really didn’t have a choice. It would be impossible to find a job as an occupation therapist without a master’s. “I’m just ready to start working. I’ve got a job lined up at a hospital but that’s not until I graduate in May.”  
“Holy shit!” He squeezes your hand, raising it into the air, “I’m proud of you.”  
“Look at us,” He has a huge grin on his face and you’re overcome with the urge to kiss him again, “We’re both out here doing shit.”  
You spend the rest of your afternoon walking in and out of the little shops littering the boardwalk. You end up sharing a soft pretzel while sitting on one of the benches, his side stays pressed against yours and you don’t want to leave. You wonder if it’s a date. The way he’s been holding your hand all day certainly makes it feel like a date.  
\---  
Back at the house, Adam eyes you but says nothing as the two of you stroll in. On the boat you sit in between them, admiring the lit up night sky reflecting against the water.  
The fireworks burst loudly, fiery blooms amongst the stars. You’re so transfixed that you almost don’t notice fingers brushing against your own. You feel them snake up your thigh to the hem of your skirt. Your head snaps to Joji’s direction but he remains focused on the sky, his head tilted back, completely ignoring you. You take a large gulp of your drink, trying to ward off the building arousal in the pit of your stomach and in between your legs.  
A few minutes later, his fingers deftly creep their way up further. You squeeze your legs together tightly, desperate for some sort of friction, some sort of mercy. His fingers are warm and gentle as they stroke the crease at the top of your thigh, sending waves of electricity throughout your body. You see him grinning out of the corner of your eye as he pretends to not notice you shudder against him.  
You take a deep breath, composing yourself and then pull his hand away. His lips move close against your ear, you can barely hear him over the deafening explosions, “Meet me in the cabin.”  
He gets up and soon disappears. You look around. Everyone’s gazes fixed upon the brilliant light in the sky, completely oblivious to your arousal.  
“I’m going to get some more to drink,” You lean into Adam who simply nods and waves you off.  
You rush to the cabin, locking the door behind you. Joji is waiting, his eyes burning into yours as he bites his bottom lips and studies you for a few moments before making his way towards you. You keep his gaze, watching his every move until he is in front of you, his hot breath meeting your exposed neck.  
“You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted you all day.” He murmurs into your ear. Your entire body tenses at his words. His tongue meets the crook of your neck, tracing circles over the sensitive skin. You exhale deeply, shutting your eyes.  
“Joji,” You sigh, placing your hands on his chest, knowing there’s something you need to address. Something that’s been weighing on you since he first touched you.  
“Hmm?” He hums against you. You gasp as he drags his fingers lightly up your back and then kneads your breast through your thin shirt.  
“What…” You pause, barely able to compose a sentence, “what are we doing?”  
“I thought it was pretty obvious.” He laughs before kissing you deeply. You want nothing more than for him to continue so it pains you to pull back.  
“Joji,” you groan breathlessly, “I mean us. What are we doing? What does this make us?”  
He moves back, taking a seat on the bed, running a hand through his hair.  
“That night last summer… I can’t do that again. I can’t do this with you and then not see you again.” You speak, starting to feel nervous just like at the beginning of the trip.  
“I’m not going anywhere.”  
“I know…” You move to stand in front of him, “But I mean I can’t do this and not have it mean something.”  
He reaches out and grabs your hands, holding them gently, “I like you, alright. I more than like you. You’ve been my best friend for so long, of course this means something.”  
“I can’t be what Natalie is. A friend to fuck.”  
“You’re not.” He’s watching you so intensely, you feel your face flush under his watch, “I was thinking about you all year, so much that it was driving me crazy. She was just… someone that was there. It never went beyond that for me. Maybe that’s fucked up, but that’s not what this is.”  
You nod and sit down, straddling his lap. Your lips are close, achingly close. Yours tingling at the sole thought of attacking his, an all consuming want. You want him as yours and only yours.  
“I’ve loved you for a long time, George.”  
Eyes flutter shut and your lips meet. You let out a muffled moan at the touch, your lips parting to allow his tongue in. Despite the urgency you feel, his tongue works slowly and skillfully against your own.  
“Me too.” He breathes heavily into the kiss. He’s yours.  
A loud voice and a series of forceful knocks boom from outside the door, causing you to pull back urgently.  
“Hey, are you guys about done FUCKING in there?” It’s Adam. Joji falls back against the bed, rolling his eyes. You jump up from his lap, smoothing your skirt down and feeling mortified.  
You unlock the door to see Adam’s obnoxiously drunk face, a huge grin plastered on it.  
“There you guys are!” He slurs, moving past you and falling onto the bed on top of Joji. “God, am I happy to see you two.”  
“Are you okay, dude?” Joji asks, shoving Adam off of him.  
“My two best friends... “ He trails off, shaking his head. You and Joji look at each other, unsure of where this is going.  
“It’s about damn time you got together!” He explodes into laughter. “I fuckin’ knew it!”  
Joji shoves him, “You’re so gay.”  
He shrugs, “I told you that’s what happens when I’m drunk!”  
\---  
You’re standing in the entryway of your apartment. Joji sets your duffle bag down on the floor and looks around.  
“Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve been in here.”  
“I know,” You smile, coming up behind him, draping your arms over his and pressing your cheek against his back.  
“I almost forgot about that evil creature.” He points to your roommate’s cat who’s glaring up at him from the kitchen floor. The two of them have never gotten along.  
“Shut up,” You laugh, “He’s never done anything to you.”  
“He wants to though. Look at his eyes.” He spins around in your arms, placing a kiss on the top of your head.  
“Whatever you say.” You joke.  
“So you’ll be at the show Thursday right?” He asks for the thousandth time.  
“Yes, yes, Joji, I’ll be there.”  
“Good,” he smiles, “I want to see you before that though.”  
“You will.”  
He leans down, catching your lips with his. He pulls back too soon and you already miss him as he makes his way to the door.  
“I’m really glad you came this weekend.” He winks, pulling the door closed behind him.  
“Me too.” You say outloud to yourself, “Me too.”


End file.
